Jean-Claude (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
baisant) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
undergrounds2017-06-03 12:33 pm
baisant) wrote in undergrounds2017-06-03 12:33 pm
[open] Vampire Ball - May 26th (backdated)
The invitations go out a week in advance. Some of which are hand written (ink on parchment, of course), to those of whom he wishes to see personally, though of course they are welcome to bring guests. The more the merrier, or so the saying goes. Especially in the case of such an event as this. Jean-Claude is vying for the spot of President of the Night Council, after all, and while the event is not technically connected to the election, timing is everything, mes amis. And what an event it is.
The instructions on the invitation are quite simple. There is to be a ball. But not just any ball, a Vampire Ball. If you are a vampire, an ally, or interested in becoming both, you are more than welcome to attend. It is a night to celebrate the collective history of the Nest of London. Formal historical costume is a requirement of attendance. Masks will be allowed as well, though the event is technically not a masquerade. All wood and silver will be checked at the door, for this is a night of entertainment.
The event is being held in a private historic home, presumably for the atmosphere. In the foyer there is a coat check (along with wood and silver check, courtesy of Guilty Pleasure's well-loved bouncers). The guests are funneled through from there into the main ballroom, where yes, there is a live string quartet playing. How did Jean-Claude afford such decadence? It helps when you have lived for so long as he has and have had very little to spend money on besides clothes and decadence. It certainly couldn't be his own private residence -- could it?
Off to the side of the ballroom is an array of chaise lounges and other sofas and chairs, while on the other may be located several tables of refreshments. It is clearly indicated which table is intended for the vampires and which is for those who are still among the living. There is another bouncer posted on watch over the refreshments, and the punch in particular -- they need not have a repeat of the last time someone spiked their drinks in such a fashion after all. There is quite a selection of finger foods on the table for those who are so inclined to partake in such delicacies, and there are offers of champagne, wine, and punch for that table. There are finger foods on the other table as well, although not as many, and each one has an accompanying card indicating the donor's name and blood type, just in case you were wondering why they were for the vampires.
The house is of course bigger than the ballroom and the foyer, but few guests are allowed to venture up the front stairs or beyond the little hall to where the restrooms are located. That does not mean, of course, that there are not those who manage to sneak past the little corded ropes meant to keep such troublemakers within check, especially when the bouncers are otherwise preoccupied. There are all sorts of fun rooms to explore.
And so many costumes from so many eras! Guests are encouraged to talk amongst themselves and share memories of the good old days for those lived through them, or ask questions if there are curiosities from those who did not. Today is a golden age, Islington Nest is at its strongest yet, and it is a time to celebrate what it is to be Vampire. There is more to such a life than drinking blood and having fangs, a sophistication and experience beyond the hunger. If nothing else, Jean-Claude hopes to share this with the attendees on this evening.
Which at least manages to begin without a hitch, but if you should manage to stay for the end of the night, prepare for some fireworks to ensue. For what is a party without a little drama...
(ooc note: anyone is welcome to attend, though if you are anti-islington you will not get very far in the door before being turned away. certain allies/those who have helped jean-claude in the past will have received direct invitations, but there is a general buzz passed around the nest and islington allies ahead of time that will have spread through the supernatural community leading up to the day itself. as stated above, historical costume is a must -- vampires are encouraged to wear something from an era they lived through, though humans are welcome to whatever they desire! masks are fun so wear one if you like though there will be no anonymity here.
details will be in jean-claude's comment below, but his ex, asher, is going to be crashing the party at the end of the night, so if you're there for the end of the evening expect that as well. i will make a comment for asher as well on his own so you can tag with him before the main event if you decide you'd like to skip out on the fireworks as he and jean-claude butt heads for the first time in hundreds of years.)
The instructions on the invitation are quite simple. There is to be a ball. But not just any ball, a Vampire Ball. If you are a vampire, an ally, or interested in becoming both, you are more than welcome to attend. It is a night to celebrate the collective history of the Nest of London. Formal historical costume is a requirement of attendance. Masks will be allowed as well, though the event is technically not a masquerade. All wood and silver will be checked at the door, for this is a night of entertainment.
The event is being held in a private historic home, presumably for the atmosphere. In the foyer there is a coat check (along with wood and silver check, courtesy of Guilty Pleasure's well-loved bouncers). The guests are funneled through from there into the main ballroom, where yes, there is a live string quartet playing. How did Jean-Claude afford such decadence? It helps when you have lived for so long as he has and have had very little to spend money on besides clothes and decadence. It certainly couldn't be his own private residence -- could it?
Off to the side of the ballroom is an array of chaise lounges and other sofas and chairs, while on the other may be located several tables of refreshments. It is clearly indicated which table is intended for the vampires and which is for those who are still among the living. There is another bouncer posted on watch over the refreshments, and the punch in particular -- they need not have a repeat of the last time someone spiked their drinks in such a fashion after all. There is quite a selection of finger foods on the table for those who are so inclined to partake in such delicacies, and there are offers of champagne, wine, and punch for that table. There are finger foods on the other table as well, although not as many, and each one has an accompanying card indicating the donor's name and blood type, just in case you were wondering why they were for the vampires.
The house is of course bigger than the ballroom and the foyer, but few guests are allowed to venture up the front stairs or beyond the little hall to where the restrooms are located. That does not mean, of course, that there are not those who manage to sneak past the little corded ropes meant to keep such troublemakers within check, especially when the bouncers are otherwise preoccupied. There are all sorts of fun rooms to explore.
And so many costumes from so many eras! Guests are encouraged to talk amongst themselves and share memories of the good old days for those lived through them, or ask questions if there are curiosities from those who did not. Today is a golden age, Islington Nest is at its strongest yet, and it is a time to celebrate what it is to be Vampire. There is more to such a life than drinking blood and having fangs, a sophistication and experience beyond the hunger. If nothing else, Jean-Claude hopes to share this with the attendees on this evening.
Which at least manages to begin without a hitch, but if you should manage to stay for the end of the night, prepare for some fireworks to ensue. For what is a party without a little drama...
(ooc note: anyone is welcome to attend, though if you are anti-islington you will not get very far in the door before being turned away. certain allies/those who have helped jean-claude in the past will have received direct invitations, but there is a general buzz passed around the nest and islington allies ahead of time that will have spread through the supernatural community leading up to the day itself. as stated above, historical costume is a must -- vampires are encouraged to wear something from an era they lived through, though humans are welcome to whatever they desire! masks are fun so wear one if you like though there will be no anonymity here.
details will be in jean-claude's comment below, but his ex, asher, is going to be crashing the party at the end of the night, so if you're there for the end of the evening expect that as well. i will make a comment for asher as well on his own so you can tag with him before the main event if you decide you'd like to skip out on the fireworks as he and jean-claude butt heads for the first time in hundreds of years.)
Jean-Claude
Jean-Claude stands in the foyer with his bouncers to greet the guests as they arrive. He is dressed perhaps more appropriately than most have ever seen him before -- gone is the poet's shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest, there is a dress code to enforce and although he dresses with a historic flair most of the time anyway, as the host he above all must participate. Having lived through the quite a few centuries' fashion, Jean-Claude was free to choose whatever era he so desired, so he chose what was perhaps the most romantic (for him) of them all. On his feet he wore low-heeled black leather shoes with a silver buckle, set with a false stone in the Paris style. The buckles on his black silken breeches match the same, in smaller size. White stockings and a white linen shirt, his black curls tied back at the base of his neck in a low tail with a black ribbon. The star of his outfit however is definitely the delicate emboridery, which is done over every inch of the breeches, jacket, and waistcoat of the outfit. The dark of the color and the light of the waiscoat contrast with Jean-Claude's dark hair, light skin, and deep blue eyes to give a softer, nearly androgenous quality to him. Especially when paired with his graceful movements and careful smiles.
Nearly, for there will always be something purely masculine about Jean-Claude. The line of his jaw, the set of his shoulders, the glint in his eyes as he reaches a hand to invite you through the door with a smile. The low silk of his voice as he speaks up to greet you.
"Bonne nuit. I am glad that you were able to join us on this night, mon ami."
BALLROOM - MID EVENING
Jean-Claude lingers in the ballroom once he's certain that most of the guests have arrived themselves. He nurses a glass of champagne here and there, and there and here a glass of red wine, though he has lost his taste for human food and drink and it is mostly for appearances' sake than because he enjoys either. It is not difficult to convince him into a dance or two, and of course he is nothing more than a gentleman as he does. Light on his feet, graceful as he moves -- nothing like the show that he occasionally puts on at Guilty Pleasures, though he can shake and grind what he has been given like the best of his dancers. As the proprietor, generally he does not have to.
The rest of the evening he lingers on the couches by the edge of the room, lounging and conversing. This sort of social life is something he misses, from days gone by. Times when such an event as this would be commonplace, and he would have at least one such an invitation a night. He is happy to speak to anyone who will listen about his outfit, about his history, about his past, about his experience, about being a vampire, and any other questions they might have.
(Little does he know how relevent such talk of the past is about to become.)
Now on his (ostensibly) second glass of wine, Jean-Claude makes another turn about the room. He smiles when he is approached and raises his glass in greeting. "How are you enjoying yourself?"
BALLROOM - LATE EVENING DRAMA
The lights are dimmer now that the evening is settling down. Jean-Claude has settled down in one spot, assuming that everyone who has wanted a piece of him has found him at some point or another during the evening, and now he is content to linger on the chaise he has planted himself on while quietly conversing with his fellows nearby.
He should have known, looking back, that the event had gone too smoothly. He should have recognized that gold brocade, amongst the crowd. He should have known there was only one man to wear such a color, with a mask to cover his face besides. But Jean-Claude's mind had been elsewhere, on the attendees he had invited and the ones they had accompanied themselves. But when the electricity cuts out rather suddenly, with more than a few cries of shock, Jean-Claude knows he was foolish to have trusted that his security would be enough for every bump in the road that might spring up.
"Mes amis," he calls out, standing up and raising his voice in the attempt to speak over the murmuring of the crowd, "please, stay calm and stay where you are! It is an old building, and we are overtaxing its wiring. We will get the lighting settled soon, do not worry!"
no subject
"You clean up well. Someone might even mistake you for a gentleman, if they squint." Joscelin raises his glass at the host and smiles. "Impressive party, old friend. Do you think this will get you enough votes to win the election?"
MY APOLOGIES life happened...
"Ah, mon ami," he replies, "you do know how to flatter a man. Do you like it?" He gestures to the room around them. It is rather opulent, but then again, this is the first party that he has thrown himself, outside of Guilty Pleasures, in quite a long time. Just who owns this house anyway, to let so many vampires enter it? Could Jean-Claude own it himself? That is the question...
no subject
He looks around at the furnishings. He's never actually been to Jean-Claude's place of residence; part of him had always just thought he spent all his time at his club. Certainly that is the only context Joscelin has seen him in for a great many years, outside of his own domecile (which Jean-Claude technically owns, given the fact that no one with Joss's youthful features could ever get a mortgage on his own).
"Is it yours?"
Late Evening
MY APOLOGIES FOR THE WAIT
As if on cue, a light flares across the hall. A lantern, as it will become immediately clear. "Oui, mes amis," comes a voice behind the lantern, mocking Jean-Claude's choice of phrasing, his accent thickly accented, as though he is more used to speaking French than English, though Jean-Claude would recognize that voice anywhere. The figure shows to be a man, lit from below by his lantern which he has just unshuttered, wearing a golden mask over his face. "Do not worry," he continues, mockingly, "Jean-Claude will protect you."
nooo shhhh
No sooner thought than done, as the new figure draws Evie's attention. The Gold Mask of Death, Evie thinks dryly as she turns toward Jean-Claude for some sort of clue. Assuredly, the two knew each other.
;; <3
"Asher," Jean-Claude breathes, glancing between Evie and the man across the room, and for the first time since they met, Evie will be able to recognize pure shock on his face.
The figure -- Asher, as Jean-Claude has identified him -- places a hand to his chest in a theatrical gesture. "So you remember me after all," he replies. "Even after all this time. You seem have made yourself quite comfortable here in this city, Jean-Claude."
no subject
"What do you want with Jean-Claude, Asher?" She asks, keeping her voice cool and even. Even in her leather pants, she was quite confident in her ability to defend anyone in this room.
no subject
"Oh, that is cute, Jean-Claude," he replies. "Tell me, how have you enamored yourself to them this time. Let me tell you something, madame, he can be awfully sweet when he wants to be, but he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, I assure you."
"Asher," Jean-Claude says again, glancing to Evie and shaking his head slightly. "Your place is with the courts in France. Why have you come here?"
"And miss your bid for the election?" Asher replies from beneath his guilt mask. "How could I?"
no subject
"As am I."
But she sees the movement, and after a moment, eases her stance. But she's not moving.
no subject
"This party is amazing!" Nancy absolutely gushes, as she moves towards Jean-Claude. The distrust and dislike she'd had of him had all but waned in the recent months, even coming to think of his fondly. He'd been nothing but kind to her, reaching out to her.
They understood each other. And few people did.
"I want to get your invitation framed, Cooper was teasing me."
no subject
"My invitation?" he asks, sounding vaguely puzzled as he does.
no subject
"Yes- it's absolutely beautiful. Is that really your handwriting?"
no subject
"It is," he replies, amused. "I have little reason to demonstrate penmanship these days, but when there is cause, I suppose that all those years of practice have come in quite useful after all."
no subject